Records: Westminster, rebuilt
Nearly Three Years after the Teardrop, all of England was still on edge, much less the greater London area. The Teardrop itself, whatever evil it was, sent a powerful message as it hovered over Westminster castle. That it hadn't destroyed or killed everybody in the city was considered a victory, but it reinforced two things. First, it said the English Crown had earned some powerful enemies. Second, it said the Royal Order of Merlin were operating on a completely different level. It was great to have the ROM in their corner, but that enemy, perhaps the Devil itself... was discouraging. After the partial collapse of Westminster Castle, the rebuilding had been a massive affair. On a scale perhaps not seen since building the pyramids of Giza, the CCC didn't build up: they first demolished everything, digging into the earth to start more than fresh. They had to. This wasn't simply building structures for government, this symbology held the heart of England... 'Three Centuries of Construction' By standard measure of the day, this was a project that would've taken three centuries to complete by old labor. That it was accomplished in three years was considered a magical miracle. Right up there with defeating the Devil's Teardrop in the first place. It wasn't just the palatial castle, it was the entire support town of Westminstershire that existed just outside the castle walls. This time, that support town was inside the walls, complete with a town moat, fed by the active flow of the Thames. Within the city walls, the town of Westminster was a modern support complex for the Palace (and heavily populated by the extended Plantagenet family). Perhaps the most important are wards; the apotropaic magic that seals the area from another attack like the Devil's Teardrop. This was the modern Westminster. Planning and Preparation The OM had been part of the driving force behind the teardown – and they'd carted away a good portion of the wreckage for study. After that, it was the recently-formed Royal Architect and the Office of Works that planned out just how they were digging down before they built up… During the interim, there were several Royal residences close to London that were frequented by Edward, Joan and Royal Court. The Court was rarely farther away than Windsor, and in general, they wanted to stay close to London as that’s where the action was. It was also a vision to behold as the original Westminster – and Westminstershire – was demolished. It was worth noting that this construction was in conjunction with an entirely separate team that finished off the St. George Citadel just across the river in what was now South London. That massive complex was home of the St. George Regiment, as well as the English Academy of Royal Arms training center. What they had to work with… The Palace of Westminster site was strategically important during the Middle Ages, as it was located on the banks of the River Thames. Known in medieval times as Thorney Island, the site was first-used for a royal residence by Canute the Great during his reign from 1016 to 1035. St Edward the Confessor, the penultimate Anglo-Saxon monarch of England, built a royal palace on Thorney Island just west of the City of London at about the same time as he built Westminster Abbey (1045–50). Thorney Island and the surrounding area soon became known as Westminster (a contraction of the words West Minster). Neither the buildings used by the Anglo-Saxons nor those used by William I survive. The oldest existing part of the Palace (Westminster Hall) dates from the reign of William I's successor, King William II. The Palace of Westminster was the monarch's principal residence in the late Medieval period. The predecessor of Parliament, the Curia Regis (Royal Council), met in Westminster Hall (although it followed the King when he moved to other palaces). Simon de Montfort's parliament, the first to include representatives of the major towns, met at the Palace in 1265. The "Model Parliament", the first official Parliament of England, met there in 1295, and almost all subsequent Parliaments had met at the Palace. At this point, the hall had barely been used in the last hundred years. What they needed to do… It was still a royal residence, but it was also the seat of English government – and that government was increasing very quickly. They needed to update the meeting chambers to something appropriate for Parliament. As was already reflected in other CCC-built projects, like Cavalon itself, it had a signature style. It was built with the sensibilities of a new magical reality, where attack from the air, and with energies beyond old imagination were not only possible, but had precedent. The Royal Architect brought a new psychology of symbology, retaining true defensibility but making it seem more “Palace-like”. Breaking Ground This wasn’t a remodel, it was a fresh build from a dug-out foundation. Westminster Palace, itself a keep, was disassembled as much as demolished, with key historical parts (like certain frescoes) retained and reincorporated in the new structure. Westminster was reborn as a walled town, roughly rectangular, long north-to-south, with the eastern and southern walls forming the current bank of the river Thames. Roughly 1.6 miles north to south, roughly 1 mile east to west, it would have a 5.4 mile long perimeter with roughly 1.8 square miles of interior area. The opposing walls were technically also part of the Thames. The moat was dug out, 25 feet deep, and the soil vitrified into thick marble channels. The active flow of the river made certain the moat was always fresh. The town walls was a massive triple wall set, with the first 30’ high, the second 45’ high and the third a massive 60’ high. The outer walls were plated with inch-thick stainless steel, then a breakaway steel trellis built outside those walls on which heavy, thorny vines now grew. Above the trellis, there was a golden band, another trellis matrix of 3” gold discs that spin in the wind. These caught the sunlight and made the whole band appear to sparkle in the light. Inside the Walls Within the town walls would be three primary sections: the palace, the offices and the town. * The palace was the royal residence, itself a citadel within the citadel. * The “offices” were a stronghold keep, dug deep and built high as the center of English government. This would be the permanent and expanded home of Parliament as well. * Finally, the town of Westminster would act as a support town for the Palace and the Offices, fully self-sufficient with housing for the residents. Construction Techniques The Royal Academy was leading the engineering and construction – and it was built unlike any structure on earth. It wasn’t just the building materials, though those were extremely significant – it was the planning and the process. They were ramping up production of steel and concrete, stockpiling it, hiring half of London (still out of work after the riots), building forms and screw-driven concrete pumps for some big structures. The walls – and the interior structures – would be built of fire resistant (essentially fire-proof) steel reinforced, 2700º vitrified concrete that created a kind of extreme-hardness, extreme-strength stone. They were using every trick they’d thought of so far, from steel rebar reinforcement around a riveted tongue & groove steel frame to steel wool mixed in the concrete to reduce cracking, along with other additives to reduce or eliminate susceptibility to cold, wet weather and so on. The concrete thickness and reinforcement was designed to withstand force a thousand times more powerful than anything that could be brought to bear. The walls were socketed to allow panels of other stone, and sometimes wood, to be used as an aesthetic facade. Some had non-critical surface layers that were directly inset or embedded with stones or tiles, sometimes in spectacular fashion. Westminster Palace The old complex was a mish-mosh of styles evident of an evolving palace. This time, it was brought together in one cohesive style, with plenty of room to grow. It consisted of connected neoclassical (columned) domes and towers, with a unique, evolving blend between sections that were both distinct yet tied together at various levels in theme and motif. Each of the sections was connected, creating a definite complex, yet there were open garden spaces between each. Where there were special symbolic or historical elements, those were preserved and celebrated. St. Stephen’s Chapel The rebuilt St Stephen's Chapel was the primary chapel of the building – and served as the chamber for the House of Commons of England when it was in session. The Commons portion was going away, but the chapel was being greatly enhanced. The Chapel of St. Mary Undercroft The Chapel of St Mary Undercroft is a Church of England chapel in the Palace of Westminster. It had been converted into crypt below St Stephen's Chapel and had fallen into disuse. At the remodeling, it returned to its former use as a place of worship. In particular, children of peers, who possess the title of "The Honourable", have the privilege of being able to use it as a wedding venue. In addition, members of parliament and peers have the right to use the chapel as a place of christening. It is a Royal Peculiar chapel - outside the responsibility of any diocesan bishop. The building is administered through the Lord Great Chamberlain and Black Rod and it has no dedicated clergy: by convention services were conducted by the Rector of St Margaret's, Westminster, a member of the Chapter of Westminster Abbey. The Parliamentary Chambers A massive new area was set aside for the construction of dedicated meeting facilities for the houses of Parliament. It was a two-and-a-half story building (plus basement) that would rival Westminster Hall in overall size. The first story was evenly split between the House of Lords and the House of Commons. The House of Lords * Formerly held in the “Queen’s Chamber” , a modest Medieval hall at the south end of the complex. There were considerably less of them, but they were the lords. The House of Commons * Previously, they didn’t have a dedicated meeting spot. They sometimes held debates in the Chapter House in Westminster Abbey. Once or twice, they met in St Stephens Chapel. Prior to Edward III, there hadn’t even been a separation of the chambers, so the commons was still feeling its way – though they’d certainly learned to assert themselves at the closure of Edward III’s tenure. The Combined House * Chambers for the combined parliament, plus parliamentary functionaries. Central area where there King’s rep sat (Chamberlain), if not the king himself. The House of Lords sat closer to the king in a semi-circle, the commons sat further out. The “half story” came in here, with a technical third story that was essentially an observation deck for guests and the like. The Court of the King’s Bench * There was a chamber constructed for what would essentially be the Supreme Court: the Court of the King's Bench. The Court of the King’s Bench did, in fact, have it’s own King' s seat and table, and while the King would preside over marquee cases, most of the time, it would be occupied by the Chief Justice of the King's Bench. Plus the Justice Chambers and two preparation rooms for solicitors, as well as support rooms. The Crown Room * A circular meeting room, essentially a combined government room. This had it’s own version of the King' s seat and table for non-judicial affairs (usually governmental command or military decisions). The Crown Room would be considered the heart of government – and the wellspring of regal power. The Jewel Tower * The Jewel Tower again held the personal wealth (the Royal Wardrobe) of the monarch, in this case Edward IV. The Royal Residence * Connected, barely, to the rest of the Palace Complex – only by nature of a covered walkway. It was purely symbolic: government met in the house of the king. The reality was that the Royal Residence was a massive, independent, 12-story keep. The style reverted to an echo of the exterior walls, from the vined trellis to the shimmering golden highlights – except these highlights were actual gold. There was a central ring base, 4 stories tall, complete with operating parapet. The base held several reception rooms, a banquet room, one massive ball room, guest rooms, logistics including isolated food storage and preparation, private royal exercise rooms, general and linen storage. The largest of the reception rooms was the Throne Room. ''There were several rooms with seats reserved for the Monarch, including the Court of the Kings Bench, the House of Lords and the working Crown Room, but the Throne Room differed in that this one featured a grand, opulent throne, befitting the title, and was intended for more social Courts. The Throne Room itself was a huge circular chamber, with 40’ vaulted ceilings, taking up nearly half of the ground floor of the Royal Residence. The dome itself was visible from the otherwise castle-like exterior of the palace, with stained-glass windows illuminating 200º of the walls. The back of the room had a raised dais on which the throne sat, with some surrounding areas for dignitaries chairs to be added or removed as needed. There were two entrances opposite the throne dais, separated by 90º directly across from the throne, which had the ability to have dais added for special events. The opposing dais would usually host musicians for the event. It was a gorgeous room, full of color, light and spectacle – and would’ve been the favorite of the Alt-U Richard II. As this circular hall was actually ''in the royal residence, it gave many visitors the feeling of a special connection to the Sovereign. That was especially true in the more artistic, literary and cultural courts held (and doubly so after everyone had a couple of glasses of wine). While this was ostensibly the room that the Royal Court would be most often held, it was considered to be King Edward IV's Throne Room. The reality was that the king was most often in private counsel, and this was where Queen Joan would hold the Court of England (basically as a holding and staging area for courtiers until Edward could see them). Little known fact: the main central base also included bunker-like backup Royal Apartments should something happen to the massive tower-spires above. The central base was so heavy constructed and reinforced that it was estimated that the all the towers could collapse and the 4-story base (save the Throne Room) would survive. All of the regular food and maintenance staff lived within the walls of Westminster, while key staff managers – starting with the Master_of_the_Household (House manager) & Cofferer_of_the_Household (House paymaster) – lived within generous quarters in the Royal Residence itself. Most of those managers also maintained a country cottage. Public Perception The reconstruction helped shape and mould not just the structures, but the morale and vision of her inhabitants. It was a period of surging pride and optimism under the Plantagenet leadership. Given the "larger concerns," all of Westminster was open to tours, including the Palace, with select times for the Throne Room when the Sovereign (or similar) would greet and meet the commons. Even men were known to faint, and not just because Queen Joan gave them a glance. The Royal Offices A look to the future: this massive expansion wasn't simply ego talking, it was a nod to the expanding role of government: what the Crown was being asked to do for the people. It was the business of the Royal Offices that kept regular traffic moving from all of England through Westminster proper. Essentially a very heavily defended keep around government offices, this was built around the rest of the small town of Westminster. The term itself was ultimately functional (they were offices), but the collection and concentration of offices, not to mention the imposing, muscular style, was typical of the sense of English understatement. On the Defensive The walls and overall defense nature of the castle were not envisioned to withstanding a siege, though the certainly could, but rather to give response time, be it counterattack or escape. The high walls and massive towers held an active response, with magical cannons emplaced. If a foreign fleet appeared on the horizon, it was widely considered they’d be sunk before they got close to the shores of London (and if they landed elsewhere and marched, would meet the same fate on foot). The Royal Mint * All minting, from coinage to bullion, was now conducted in-house. Outside the actual industrial section, the offices were done in a Rococo style, the flowery motif emphasizing the wealth. The new Royal Treasury * These were reviewable funds, in coin and bullion, that could be audited by Parliament. By 1385, with the exploding success of the English economy and new tax structure, some estimated that the most gold in the world was stored there (a very far cry to just a few years before). The Treasury shared the Rococo style of the Mint. The Headquarters of the Royal Guard * Home to the only battalion of English guard, the garrison was housed in it’s own, fully-defended interior castle. The Westminster RG battalion were acting constables for both Westminster and the City of London, serving the Mayor of London at the will of the King. * This also included massive, connected horse stables and a specialized training facility, used in conjunction with the ARA complex at St. George (Southwark). Parliamentary Support Complex * This was a massive block that would be local offices for each seat holder in both the Houses, with smaller chambers for Commons and larger chambers for Lords. There were, however, a lot more Commons than Lords. * Both chambers also had their own set of meeting rooms, away from the Parliamentary chambers, that could accommodate the full attendance and would serve as emergency chambers if something happened to Westminster Palace. The High Courts * Two major chambers were constructed, as the “Office” now held two of the three major courts of the realm. ** The Court of Common Pleas (the seat of civil cases). ** The Court of the Exchequer (the seat of criminal cases). * Plus the Justice Chambers – offices for each of the Justices, plus two preparation rooms for solicitors, as well as support rooms. Royal Records Repository * For royal, parliamentary and judiciary records. Westminstershire Most of the Westminster support staff lived in housing within the Westminster walls. This was a completely separate and self-contained city from the Royal Complex, but still within the defensive municipal protections. Every major support function was accounted for within the walls. *Doctors *Pubs *Markets *Smithies: several specialized shops, in a range of sizes and focuses. All of these were both magically-enhanced and magically enabled. *Leather workers *sanitation processing *etc. Westminster Amphitheater * A massive, partially-dug forum for musical, comedic and dramatic performances. It was open-air for the audience though it could be covered during inclement weather, with acoustics over the stage and magical stage lighting. 'The Magical Wards of Westminster' As impressive as the physical structures were, the highest visibility and arguably the most important additions were wards; the apotropaic magic that sealed the area from another attack like the Devil's Teardrop. This was the modern Westminster. Little was known about the technical capacity, strength, or exactly the extent of the protections, they simply didn't talk about it, but it was known to be powerful. So powerful, in fact, that it was able to grant non-magically trained individuals certain magical powers while within the wards, including a personal path light at night, directions to certain public-access areas (either in the Royal Offices or in Westminstershire), and certain novelty illusion spells (like toy fireballs). Category:Hall of Records Category:1381